Championship Winner moves to Worcester

Worcester Wolves have landed a major coup by securing the services of American point guard Zaire Taylor from under the noses of their Midlands rivals, the Leicester Riders.

26-year-old Taylor played a leading part in the Riders winning a triple of trophies last term: the BBL Cup, the League and the Championship playoffs. He averaged thirteen points, three assists and two steals a game for the Riders, on a team where he often had to battle for a share of the limelight with other players on a highly-talented roster. Fans who witnessed last year’s two-legged BBL Trophy semi-final against Leicester will recollect that he led the Riders’ scorers in both matches, being particularly deadly from three-point range when seeing off the Wolves’ challenge.

Wolves’ Director of Basketball Paul James is thrilled to have such a skilful player join his side, saying: “To have a player such as Zaire Taylor commit his services to the Wolves is a measure of the ambition of this club. It shows how serious we are about winning trophies.

“Zaire put up some impressive stats at Leicester, but even that doesn’t tell the full story when you look at how many other game-winners they had over there. We’ve had some long discussions about what we are looking to achieve in Worcester, and Zaire will now play an integral part in reaching those targets. I’m delighted he’s on board.”

The capture of Taylor is sure to add to a growing rivalry between the two clubs, particularly as the Riders will be the very first visitors to Wolves’ new home, the University of Worcester Arena, in early October.

Taylor is excited to be joining the Wolves, saying: “I am very happy to sign with the Worcester Wolves.  The team was extremely competitive last season.  I like Coach James’ style of play.  I think it fits my game extremely well, and Alex Owumi and I in the backcourt should rank among the league’s best backcourt tandems.  When it comes down to it, I wanted to play for a team that has the potential to win, and I also had to do what was best for me and my family at the end of the day.”

Wolves’ fans are reminded that there is a last chance to get an early-bird 10 per cent discount off season ticket prices if they contact the club before this Thursday (1st August). Season ticket purchasers will also receive an exclusive invitation to a pre-season “Press and Practice Day” where they will get first glance of new signings such as Zaire Taylor, and also have the opportunity to reserve their chosen seats for the new campaign.